


Neon Angels on the road to ruin

by Satellite_Of_Love



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A bit of dark humor but nothing edgy, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Author really tried to be funny, Blood, Convenience Store, Crack, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, The amount of BUFFOONERY you are about to presence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23690455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Satellite_Of_Love/pseuds/Satellite_Of_Love
Summary: ‘’Every time I look in your eyes and I see that you are starting to realize I was right and you were wrong, oh baby, I enjoy it almost as much as when I hear you saying that you love me.’’orJisung doesn’t want to admit that trying to pierce his own ear with a gun -an actual gun- was a bad idea and the stores in Neon Steampunk Los Angeles are as bizarre as they get.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 18
Kudos: 64
Collections: MINSUNG BINGO: Round One





	Neon Angels on the road to ruin

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of the [Minsung Bingo](https://twitter.com/minsungbingo) event. Please go check them out, as some works are not published on AO3 and are directly post on twitter. This one in particular was made to fill the following squares: Steampunk; Convenience Stores/Supermarkets.

The whistling sound of the factory near Minho’s workplace always opens its way amidst the murmur of the city at 5 p.m sharp, cutting the remaining noises like a bullet, a daily reminder that Neon Angels can always get a little bit noisier even when you think it couldn’t possibly do so. ‘’Factory’’ is what Minho calls it because that’s what it looks like and what it sounds like, but the work that its done inside of it little has to do with what a Factory normally does.

‘’So you are telling me that the big factory is actually something like a movie production set?’’ Minho asked one of his coworkers one day.

‘’Yes, exactly.’’ The man answered, taking off one of his never-ending black gloves filled with buttons to be able to scratch his arm.

‘’So why the shape? Why does it look like a factory?’’

‘’Aesthetics, maybe?’’

‘’And why the whistle every day?’’

‘’Maybe they need their actors to know that it is time to stop…acting.’’

‘’But from the outside I can see that they have an entire production line set and that there’s people working on it.’’ Minho raises his hands in incredulity at how difficult it is to comprehend this world.

‘’Well…’’

‘’And they work with steam machines all day long, I might not be an expert on movie production, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how you make a movie.’’ Minho interrupted him.

‘’Listen, Hollywood is a strange place, who knows what these postmodern directors are looking for? We are not the right people to judge their art.’’

Minho has yet to adapt to the life on the city, always too big, flamboyant and extravagant if compared to the standards of living he is used to. On the countryside, people working all day long at a production line inside a factory means that they are just that, workers of the factory. Here, however, every little detail seems to lose the obvious meaning that they once had, metamorphosing into something new and unknown, something almost impossible to understand. He really must have loved Jisung, otherwise he would have never found himself living in a city with this tremendous gap of cultural differences.

At least in the big city you are allowed, and even pushed, to dress in the fashionable way that Minho had always fancied, with pirate-like shirts and vests displaying intricate patterns, formal pants stranded with harnesses and boots decorated with gears that don’t have much purpose other than looking good. That’s pretty much the clothing set that Minho put on that morning while discussing with his beloved boyfriend.

‘’Jisung, if you want a piercing just go to Changbin and ask him to do it for you.’’

‘’Changbin is always busy! My method will be a lot faster and just as precise.’’ Jisung explained, moving his hands as if imitating the director of an orchestra.

‘’I really hope that you are joking.’’

‘’Why can’t you take me seriously for once?’’ With a whine, Jisung embraced Minho from behind.

‘’Because you just said, and I’m quoting, ‘ _Hey, I think I will pierce my ear with my gun.’_ so my brain is trying to process it as a joke or otherwise I would have to worry about you.’’ Minho raised his head from where he had been tying his long shoelaces to look at Jisung in the eyes. ‘’Should I be worried?’’

‘’I don’t see what’s the problem!’’

‘’You really can’t see the problem? ’’

‘’I’m prominently gifted when it comes to manual stuff. ‘’

‘’You are a musician, baby, not a surgeon.’’

‘’How hard can it be to pierce my ear?’’

‘’I imagine that it is at least mildly hard in normal circumstances, I can’t picture how hard it will be with the proper instruments being replaced for a gun. You will blow up your ear, Jisung.’’

‘’But it is the one that fires those minuscule bullets! I tried it on a paper and it has the perfect size.’’

Minho took a last look at his boyfriend before leaving for work, wanting to believe that Jisung would be able to understand how reckless his idea was.

‘’Jisung, don’t shoot yourself in the ear, please, it’s a bad idea.’’

Jisung’s house, although he should refer to it as _their_ house since they are both living in it, presents the same style as the rest of the city does. With a vast skylight in the shape of a dome, their house is almost always warmly illuminated in the day, and if they are lucky, at night stars can be seen. Of course, this is Neon Angels and stars don’t get to frequently breakthrough in between the undying city lights, but then when they do, the spectacle is one to behold.

The house is decorated with multiple shelves filled with books and all the random objects that Jisung tends to hoard, going from papers to art supplies, from gears and toys to music instruments and objects beyond description that have absolutely no other function than being nice to the eyes.

At half past five in the afternoon, Minho arrived to their house only to find Jisung holding a cloth against his ear, crimson tainting a considerable part of his face and shoulder

‘’So…’’ Minho pursed his lips,

‘’Yes.’’ Jisung nodded.

‘’I see you tried to pierce your ear with a gun.’’

‘’I tried and failed, indeed.’’

‘’Like I told you…’’

‘’Like you told me not to, yes.’’

‘’And now you are…’’

‘’Bleeding, exactly, if the scarlet liquid running down my face is any proper indication of it.’’ Jisung pointed at his injured ear with his free hand as he shrugged.

‘'You know how you could’ve avoided this?’’

‘’By not trying to pierce my ear with a gun?’’

‘’Wow, that’s a great idea! I wish someone had suggested that to you earlier.’’

‘’You did suggest it, many times in fact.’’

‘’No…I know I suggested it.’’ Minho massaged his temples, frustrated at the situation but trying not to let it get the best out of him. ‘’That’s the joke, I was trying to be funny.’’

‘’I’m bleeding and you are trying to be funny?’’ Jisung asked, frowning as if he didn’t understand the situation.

‘’Okay, okay, let’s go to the hospital.’’ Minho suggested.

‘’No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’’

‘’What? Why not?’’

‘’The hospital is all the way up in the zeppelin of the city! Do you really want to go all the way up there?’’ Jisung winced at the idea and Minho couldn’t help but to wince as well, after all they both had an irrational and almost crippling fear of heights.

‘’Ok, then let’s go to Chan!’’ Minho tried once again. ‘’He is a doctor…ish.’’

‘’He’s a vet.’’

‘’And you are clearly an animal, so.’’

Jisung said no with his head. Ah, why was he making things so difficult?

‘’I don’t want to go to Chan’s either.’’

‘’Are you kidding me? Chan didn’t live in a ridiculously high place last time I checked.’’

‘’But I don’t want him to scold me.’’ Jisung complained, pouting. Minho would rather die than admit that watching his boyfriend pouting was enough to convince him, but that was the truth anyway.

‘’You’d rather bleed to death than have Chan scolding you?’’

‘’Look, it’s not that bad, okay? The wound is very small, I’m only bleeding because I misdirected the shot, otherwise I would be wearing a really cool piercing right now and you would be admitting that I am a genius.’’

‘’Instead, I am admitting that you are stupid.’’

‘’Genius tend to be genius in just one area of their lives and a mess in the rest of them, okay?’’ Jisung defended himself, looking offended.

‘’Please tell me that at least you were wearing your goggles while shooting yourself.’’

‘’Goggles are not actually made for wearing, Minho, you just put them in your head to look cool and badass.’’

‘’And you put them over your eyes to be able to see, you dumbass.’’

‘’Let’s just go buy some thread and a needle and I’ll stitch it.’’ Jisung suggested, talking about it as if it was a trifle, as if the matter didn’t deserve his attention.

‘’But what if you miss again and you end up stitching your hand to your head? ’’

‘’Ok, then you’ll do it.’’

‘’I don’t know how to do stitches.’’ Minho complained.

‘’You know how to box, this is the same.’’

‘’How is it the same?’’

‘’You need to use your hands in both of them and you hurt the other person but not just for the sake of hurting them, it has an ulterior purpose.’’

‘’I…’’ Minho tried, but found that he was devoid of words.

‘’We’ll solve the details later, okay? Let’s just go buy it.’’

Minho observed as his lover put on layer after layer of the complicated garments that were usually worn in that city

‘’Are you really?’’ Minho started asking.

‘’What?’’ Jisung snapped back.

‘’No, sorry, it’s just that I didn’t…’’

‘’You have any problem with me putting a corset on?’’

‘’No, of course not.’’

‘’Because men can wear it too, you know?’’

‘’Yes, I am aware.’’

‘’So what’s the problem?’’

‘’You are bleeding and instead of running to the hospital you are taking a long time by putting a corset on.’’

‘’Yes, you are describing the situation. What’s up with it?’’

‘’Isn’t it like a pimple? I mean, maybe if you squeeze yourself too much you’ll just end up bleeding more.’’

‘’You know, Minho, you sometimes act like a child, talking about pimples and making jokes when I’m under clear distress.’’ Jisung complained, mumbling as he sighted and tighted the corset around him.

Streets were usually busy until eight p.m., so it was not a surprise to find a fair amount of people swarming in the streets, with an amalgam of eccentric outfits born out of the mix of Victorian style with neon, and just a whole lot of gear-like paraphernalia.

‘’There’s the convenience store!’’ Jisung pointed out, excited.

‘’Are you sure it is a convenience store? I mean the sign just says _Guns and Clocks_.’’ Minho narrowed his eyes, trying to see if he was reading it correctly.

‘’Minho, I’ve lived in this city my whole life, you think I can’t recognize a convenience store when I see one?’’

‘’No, of course, it’s just that under the _Guns and Clocks_ sign it says _seriously, we only sell guns and clocks_.’’ Minho got closer to the shop windows and read a little paper displayed on the door. ‘’Also, here they have a paper saying _we are not a convenience store, please don’t come asking for anything other than guns or clocks_.’’

‘’Ha!’’ Jisung said, hitting his knee with his hand as he laughed, only to be reminded that he was in fact bleeding and that he needed his hand and the cloth held by it to remain next to his ear. ‘’Classic Felix. That’s just the way we joke around here, love, don’t get so worked up.’’

After some minutes of talking with the employee, Minho was feeling a tad irritated. The man was wearing a pair of goggles similar to Jisung’s, his clothing and features reminding Minho of a little fairy, maybe that was the only reason stopping him from snapping at the man.

‘’I need a needle.’’ Minho asked, grabbing the counter and trying to make this a fast business, something that seemed hard to accomplish in Neon Angels.

‘’Is ‘needle’ a metaphor for bullets?’’ The employee asked back, narrowing his eyes as if he couldn’t comprehend Minho’s language.

‘’No, I need a literal needle and a thread.’’

‘’Is ‘thread’ a metaphor for the complex system of gears inside of a clock?’’

‘’Nope, once again, just a literal needle and a literal thread.’’

‘’Excuse me, sir, I am confused, are you saying that you need a gun or not?’’ They employee asked once again, smiling in a disoriented way.

‘’Fuck’s sake, why is everyone in this city obsessed with…?’’ Minho put both of his hands up, trying to compose himself and not lose his temper. ‘’No, I need something that will fix the damage _caused_ _by_ a gun.’’

‘’So… another gun?’’ The employee suggested.

‘’No. Listen, my problem is that my boyfriend shot himself in the ear, how can a gun fix his bleeding ear? An ear that is bleeding _because_ of a gun, please explain it to me.’’

‘’Well, you could shot him in the head and spare him the pain of dying slowly and painfully because of an infection.’’

Minho considered it for a second too long.

‘’Nah, that won’t work, I want him alive.’’ He explained, shaking his head.

‘’Okay, I see that you don’t want a gun. May I interest you in clock then, maybe? Oh!’’ The face of the man illuminated. ‘’Maybe you could cut off his ear and replace it with a clock, that would look cool.’’

‘’I…what? No! Are you insane?!’’ Minho raised his voice, patience long lost. He proceeded to try to point every single one of his words, accompanying them with a movement of his hands. ’’Please, listen to me carefully. I need a thread and a needle, that’s all. No gun, no clock, just thread and needle, can you get that for me?’’

The man’s expression was fast distorted from a friendly look to a menacing gaze.

‘’I’m deeply offended.’’ He said, his voice sounding even deeper than what it had sound before, chilling Minho up to the bones

‘’Offended?’’ Minho asked cautiously.

‘’We have a big, clear sign outside stating not to ask for anything other than guns or clocks.’’

‘’Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that my boyfriend said…’’

‘’You come here and ask me for something that we clearly stated you can’t ask for, and yet you have the nerve to appear offended when I’m trying to understand in what way a clock or a gun would be of use for you.’’

‘’Now that you put it like that…’’

‘’You treat me like an idiot when I’m putting all of my effort in trying to help you, thinking that for sure you wouldn’t come here to ask for something that we begged you not to ask for.’’

‘’Listen, man, I’m really sorry. I see that this must be really frustrating for you, it’s just that my boyfriend was so sure that this was a convenience store and I believed him.’’

‘’Oh, but we _are_ a convenience store.’’

Minho opened his mouth and blinked twice.

‘’Are you kidding me now?’’

‘’Yes, it is a joke.’’ The employee laughed, recovering his friendly manners. ‘’Ah, you are not from here, are you?

Minho breathed in and out a couple of times, he was far too young for both be arrested with assaulting charges or dying of a stroke caused by that conversation.

‘’Ha! Shooting himself in the ear, classic Jisung.’’ The employee kept on laughing.

‘’Can you…can you please give me the thread and the needle so I can go home?’’ Minho asked, defeated while holding himself against the counter, no force in his body to keep up with the situation.

‘’Sure, it will cost you three.’’

‘’Okay, three what?’’

‘’Maybe five.’’

‘’Goodbye.’’

So Minho made his way into the other side of the store, where his boyfriend had been staring at the bewildering display of several objects including a large population of clocks.

‘’Hey baby, what do you think of the idea of me replacing my ear with a clock? Sexy, right?’’ Jisung asked him with a smug smirk.

‘’That’s it, with are going to Chan’s’’ Minho deadpanned, not leaving any space for objection.

‘’I don’t treat humans’’ Chan complained as he rummed around for his medical instruments.

‘’No, I know.’’ Minho answered, having the decency of looking ashamed.

‘’So why did you bring Jisung here?’’

‘’He just needs some stitches, you know how to do stitches.’’ He shrugged.

‘’Why didn’t you go to the human’s hospital?’’

‘’It’s too high and both of us are afraid of heights.’’ Jisung answered this time, looking like a sad wounded squirrel curled up in the end on the stretcher.

‘’Okay, then why didn’t you come here sooner? You lost a lot of blood.’’

‘’I didn’t want you to scold me.’’ Jisung admitted in a tiny voice.

‘’You are stupid and reckless, Jisung, and if one day you end up killing yourself I will go to your funeral and laugh. That’s it, there’s the scolding, was it that terrible?’’ Chan clicked his tongue as he replaced his cool-looking gloves for ones that would serve their medical purpose. ‘’I don’t even need you shooting yourself to scold you.’’

‘’You are so harsh, Chan, that’s why I didn’t want to come here.’’ Jisung complained with tears in his eyes.

‘’There, there. If you stay still I will give you a lollipop after.’’ Chan gave up his lecture and proceeded to pat Jisung’s head. ‘’And you too, Minho, be more careful for God’s sake! You are supposed to be the responsible one.’’

‘’Why am _I_ getting scolded? I was the one trying to avoid this from the beginning!’’ Minho complained, exasperated at every single event that had occurred that day.

‘’Oh, excuse me, but it appears to me that you let Jisung be a fool and agreed not to go to the hospital when he had just shot himself.’’

Jisung nodded and said ‘’Yeah, that sounds fair.’’

Minho groaned but allowed Chan to prepare his instruments in peace.

‘’Anyway, how are you adapting to the city life? Is it tough?’’ Chan asked Minho.

‘’Well.’’ Minho tried to think about how to say it without using the words ‘absolute shit’ or ‘ complete fuckery’.’’It has its bright side and its not-so-bright side. It is like a rose, but with spines.’’

‘’So, a normal rose then?’’ Chan asked, putting back one of his suspenders that had fell.

‘’I guess.’’

Chan was almost prepared to start stitching a scared-looking Jisung when Minho interrupted him.

‘’Hey, are you not going to wear your goggles for the stitching.’’

‘’Oh Minho.’’ Chan laughed in a condescending way. ‘’You are showing your peasant side now, you are not supposed to actually wear your goggles, they are just a fashion item.’’

Once Jisung ear was functional again and blood had stopped dripping from him, Chan kicked them out, stating that he had much more important business to take care of.

‘’Oh, just one more thing.’’ Their blond friend said before allowing them to leave. ‘’Not that I am in any way condoning this, but if one day you do end up losing your ear you could consider replacing it with a clock, once you get used to the ticking it looks very appealing, if I should say so.’’

Minho knew that the pulsation in his eye would remain there for a couple of days, weeks perhaps.

Their bedroom was spacious and cozy, with wooden walls and the same mess of books and stuff that was scattered all around the house, decorated with a chandelier hanging from above. How it is that Jisung had managed to get a chandelier with his modest income was a mystery that Minho hadn’t resolved yet, but he liked to think that not everything in life had to make sense, just as the fact that the whole city was still using steam energy when they were much better ways to produce energy. Mysteries of Neon Angels, Minho guesses.

After numerous times of hitting Jisung’s ear accidentally, they were lying on their bed with Jisung on the left side of it so Minho wouldn’t end up opening the stitches with his clumsiness.

‘’Love.’’ Jisung was the one that started speaking.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Maybe I won’t try piercing myself with a gun again. Not because it is a bad idea, it is still a great idea in my opinion, but because if something goes wrong the fuss is not worth the coolness.’’

‘’You know you could just do it with a needle like a normal person?’’

‘’You are right! We should go buy a needle.’’ Jisung said animatedly as he half sat on the bed.

‘’No, I take that back, you should go with Changbin.’’ Minho answered quickly as he put a hand in Jisung’s shoulder, helping him to lie down on the bed once again. ‘’I have no problem with threatening him to make time in his schedule for you, anything will be easier than this.’’

Jisung held Minho’s hand, linking their fingers as best as he could in the mess of rings that their hands were.

‘’In any case, I’m really sorry for not paying any sort of attention to what you said. Like, not even a little bit.’’

Minho turned his head slightly to be able to take a proper look at his boyfriend, feeling emotional as their locked their eyes.

‘’Every time I look in your eyes and I see that you are starting to realize I was right and you were wrong, oh baby, I enjoy it almost as much as when I hear you saying that you love me.’’

‘’And that’s why I never want to admit that you were right.’’ Jisung nodded, amused. ‘’Confess that you prefer it this way.’’

‘’At least I never get bored by your side, I guess.’’

‘’I love you.’’

‘’I love you too.’’

‘’But have you considered…?’’

‘’If you say anything related to a gun or a clock I will pack up and go back to the countryside to live a peaceful life.’’ Minho expressed his thoughts with a forced smile.

‘’I was going to say that we could go watch one of those movies made in the factory near your workplace.’’

‘’The movies made in…’’ Minho started, incredulous. ‘’Okay, fuck it, let’s go. I want to see how they can possibly make a movie in that place.’’

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, sorry for making you read the silliest thing I have ever written. If you liked it please consider leaving so comments and kudos, they are much appreciated! And if you really, really liked it I would appreciate if you read my on going drama/crime/mystery story that I am writing [As I lay dying](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23288572/chapters/55774546) I swear that I write better that what this fic showed.
> 
> Go follow me on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/satoflove?s=09)


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